Muddling through life with Momma, Mr & Mini

Dinosaur Hunting at Lapworth Museum of Geology

Sunday turned out to be a wet and miserable day, so we had a search for something that we could do indoors together. Mr Mack came across The Lapworth Museum of Geology at the University of Birmingham. Mini has been learning about dinosaurs and volcanoes at school recently so this sounded like a great idea.

The museum has recently undergone a £2.7 million redevelopment and is a finalist for the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2017. It is free to visit, although you can choose to make a donation in reception if you wish. There is free parking right outside at the weekend, however parking would be more difficult in the week when the University is open.

When you arrive at the museum you can’t help but notice the skeleton of the large Allosaurus hanging from the ceiling. Mini was also really excited to see the Pterodactyl skeleton, as this is her favourite dinosaur at the moment and she’d made a model one for school recently.

In the main atrium there are lots of display cabinets with fossils and different types of rocks and crystals in them. They were at an easy level for little ones to see.

Off to the side there was an interactive area to learn about the world including volcanoes, tsunamis and icebergs. Upstairs on the mezzanine level there was an impressive collection of geodes and different coloured precious stones.

The museum also had a reading area stocked with books about dinosaurs and fossils. There is also an education room where children could do colourings and puzzles.

We all really enjoyed our visit and it was lovely to see Mini excited to tell us all the things she had been learning about at school as we looked at the exhibitions.

Our visit lasted about an hour, which was just right to keep a 5 year olds interest. There are a number of special events and exhibitions throughout the year, so keep an eye on the website for more information www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/lapworth-museum.